Absconded Oregon sex offender arrested in Sarasota

SARASOTA -- The Sarasota County Sheriff’s Office has arrested a convicted sex offender who absconded from Oregon more than 16 years ago and moved around the country before settling in Florida, never registering in any state, according to the Sarasota County Sheriff's Office.

Deputy Judy Williams responded to an alarm call Tuesday on Lords Avenue in Sarasota. She found Sam Brice Brock, 64, who had been living at the address and caring for the resident’s children, according to a news release.

"Call it a gut feeling, but Williams requested a warrant check which came back negative, but further research showed he was a sexual offender," the report states. "It was determined that Brock, who has many aliases, was convicted in 1995 of sexual abuse and being a felon in possession of a weapon and sentenced to 26 months in prison. After his release in 1997 Brock was ordered not to have contact with minors. He left Oregon that year."

Brock is currently being held in the Sarasota County Jail without bond charged with failing to register as a sexual offender.

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